president assad to use it. this week u.s. intelligence detected that flurry of activity at chemical weapon sites. >> our concerns are an increasingly desperate assad regime might turn to chemical weapons or might lose control of them to one of the many groups that are now operating within syria. we have sent an unmistakable message that this would cross a red line and those responsible would are held to account. >> this morning in dublin a sign that the diplomacy is intensifying secretary clinton met with her counterpart, russian minister lab rov and a u.n. special envoy on the side of an international security conference she is taking part in. russia is one of syria's main allies but have opposed and opposed any u.n. measures against him up until this point. if clinton can submit russian support the u.n. security council might be able to pass a sanctions resolution against the syrian government particularly because of the chemical weapons issue. on wednesday in brussels clinton also renewed support for the syrian opposition. is there an exit strategy for assad? though the u.n. secretary o

detroit, daimler will announce a big $100 million investment to expand u.s. production in jobs. it's the real reason he was invited to michigan. with time running out for a deal before the holidays, the president and now speaker john boehner met at the white house, the first face-to-face meeting between the two in nearly a month. the first one-on-one meeting between the two. aides refused to characterize the meeting saying, quote, we're not reading out can details but the lines of communication remain open. but we'll do it for him. this is the real start of the negotiations, folks. if this week goes bad, we shouldn't worry about a deal. the plan is to get something passed by friday, december 21st or even december 24th. and then the legislation has to be written by the 18th. and that means that obama and boehner must reach some framework of an agreement by december 14 or 15 if there's going to be a deal. what does that mean? lots of serious talks have to begin now. we can put the posturing finally aside. we've run out the clock on this posturing phase. >>> bob corker joined a growing

treaty raises the world to the standard of the u.s. doesn't require the u.s. to change its standards at all and doesn't in any way give the u.n. power to do anything in this country. but i think it's -- all you have to do is say u.n. and people on the right get very exorcised. rick santorum helped lead the opposition to this treaty. i think he's out of step with the american people, out of step, by the way, on this tax cuts for the rich stuff. you know, bobby jindal said today, and i thought it was remarkable, we're in danger of becoming the party that defends the rich, anti-medicare, anti-social security, and there's no future in that kind of republican party nor is there one in a party that's anti-handicapped. >> let me go to john on this because you and i, john, i think we all know people in our business, in the journalism world, and in consulting who have handicaps. they are in wheelchairs, but they raise a ruckus effectively if there's some facility that doesn't allow them access or a reasonable way of getting through that situation. i think it's a nonpartisan issue, but your side

, david. nia-mali ka, henderson. michael, as well. >>> still ahead this hour, a u.s. navy s.e.a.l. killed on a mission to rescue an american doctor in afghanistan. we'll have the latest. the pentagon released the s.e.a.l.'s identity and where he is from. >>> another off the field devastating incident. josh brent out on bail charged in a drunk driving accident that took the life of his friend and teammate. how the team is responding. >>> tea party leader dick armey on the tear if you will against the republican party after leaving his job at a conservative superpac. it is just one of the things we thought you should know today. >>> you can join our conversation. you can find us. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about low-cost investing. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at schwab, we're committed to offering you tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 low-cost investment options-- tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like our exchange traded funds, or etfs tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 which now have the lowest tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 operating expenses tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 in their respective tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 lipper categories. tdd#: 1-800-345-

by u.s. sources those precursor chemicals have been preloaded now into aerial bombs that could be dropped from the fighter bombers onto the syrian people. as of this afternoon there is still no indication that the syrians have actually put -- attempted to put those weapons on aircraft or that there's been a final fatal order from president assad to carry out any kind of attack. so it appears right now that they are in at least the preparation mode, but they're really just one step away from actually carrying out those chemical weapons attacks. we heard secretary panetta say today that the latest intelligence on what's going on with those chemical weapons is very concerns to have specifically. in regard to the remark from one u.s. official that if president assad actually gives the order to go ahead and carry out the attack, there's very little that the outside world could do. that's in reference to a preemptive kind of attempt to prevent the strike from happening. it would be just too difficult logistically and militarily to intervene. for example, if you tried to bomb the weapon

freedly u.s. military coalition troops. they took him on wednesday in the district outside of kabul. six people were killed. two arrested during the dangerous mission. dr. joseph is seen here in this video posted on youtube. there's no word on his condition or if he was harmed in captivity. >>> in egypt, a call for new protest against president morsi today. his attempt to diffuse weeks of unrest failed. last night's announcement did not satisfy opponents on a draft constitution. we are live in cairo. do his opponents see this as a victory? >> reporter: well, right now, they don't feel it is a victory. not only has the referendum gone ahead as scheduled, there's been no dialogue about the constitution and the articles which are the main source of detention. the decree issued november 22nd was the cast list to the street protests we have been seeing. over the past two weeks, the demands of the protesters extend beyond the decree. they want a new constitution drafted. what the opponents say is the constitution does not represent a broad section of egyptians, does not protect the rights of m

launching molotov cocktails. >>> and in the u.s., the president is taking his fiscal cliff solutions directly to the people. >>> plus, a modern-day spy story ripped from the pages of a tom clancy novel. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry and we start with breaking news out of japan. a strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake has struck off the country's northeastern coast. that's the same region hit by last year's massive earthquake and tsunami. well, this morning's quake shook buildings as far as tokyo, and there are reports of a three-foot tsunami in the miyagi prefecture. the u.s. geological survey says there's no risk of a widespread tsunami, and so far, there have been no news of injuries or damage. of course, we're going to keep an eye on any aftershocks that occur and we'll bring you the very latest. >>> well, elsewhere, all eyes are on cairo this morning as turmoil has once again overtaken egypt's capital. this time, it's in response to a politically explosive power grab by the democracy's president, mohamed morsi. right now, soldiers are setting up barricades as morsi's opponents

they are not allowed to be in this country, the u.s. congress in 1988 passed something called the undetectable firearms act. it said basically, your gun has to be detektble in an x-ray scanner. it has to have the equivalent x-ray signature of 3.7 ounces of stain res steel, even if you take out the magazine and the stock and the grips. even with those parts taken off, the remaining guts of the gun need to have a substantial metal component. so they will be seen on an x-ray machine. because of that law, we do not have fully plastic guns. that law was first passed in 1988. it was not particularly controversial. the vote in the house on that was 413 to 4. and president ronald reagan signed it. and tyranny was not unleashed upon the land. it is not controversial now that it is illegal to manufacture or sell a gun in the united states that is built to evade detection by standard means. we don't have plastic guns. we banned plastic guns. the ban has been renewed several times since. it is up for renewal again next year. when it comes up for renewal next year. rjs changing laws about guns

world is going to demand action to protect americans? joining me now is u.s. senator dick durbin of illinois. i want to read something from you which is very impressive, and it's in the op-ed pages of "the chicago tribune." quote, what holds us back are political organizations that are well-funded, well-organized, and determined to resist even reasonable limitations. there's a close political parallel between the gridlock in washington on dealing with our economy and national debt and the eerie silence in congress as the list of horrific gun crimes grows by the day. senator durbin, thank you. i know you have got a good heart on this as well as a good head about fiscal matters. what's wrong with the congress when it comes to protecting, ensuring the domestic tranquility? >> well, there's a legitimate concern about our second amendment, chris. you understand that part. but there's also a very strong political force that is trying to push forward, primarily for the dealers and manufacturers, an agenda that will sell more firearms and more sophisticated firearms, more expensive firearms

increasingly desperate. u.s. officials tell nbc news the syrian military loaded the precursor chemicals for sarn nerve gas into aerial bombs. that could be dropped from dozens of syrian fighter bombers. this week u.s. intelligence detected a flurry of activity at chemical weapons sites like this one. while u.s. officials confirm the precursor chemicals are loaded, they must still be mixed together to create the deadly sarin gas. the development shook the world. president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton issued strong warnings to syria's president assad that there would be serious consequences if he used chemical weapons. >> it's the point of no return. they're going to lose any sort of backing that they had from the chinese and russians in terms of blocking the u.n. vote. and it's my -- it's a suicide move. >> reporter: iraq's saddam hussein killed 5,000 kurds with a sarin gas attack in 1988. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, pentagon. >>> back here at home, fiscal cliff negotiations in washington are still up in the air. most lawmakers have gone home for a long weekend break. thi

what is the legislative low-hanging fruit now? the u.s. senate has done a very small part of it, unanimously passing a bill that allows federal officials to help local authorities respond to mass shootings or other violent crimes in public places, a jurisdictional thing. that's a start. that's something. but is it more possible now in a changed political landscape, in a changed country. what about the issue of federal research on guns? that's not allowed right now. back in the mid-'90s, an arkansas republican pushed an amendment through congress that is still in effect today. it strips the centers for disease control budget of $2.6 million specifically, because that is the exact amount the agency had spent on gun-related research. it also outlawed further research on gun control. that's what it says in the amendment. none of the funds made available for injury, prevention and control at the centers for disease control may be used to advocate or promote gun control that is still the law. or how about allowing the government to release the information it is still allowed to compil

hillary clinton holds emergency talks with russia as u.s. officials confirm reports that the syrian military is prepared to launch chemical weapons against its own people. >> we've made it very clear what our position is with respect to chemical weapons and i think we will discuss that and many other aspects. >> the whole world is watching. the whole world is watching very closely. and the president of the united states has made very clear that there will be consequences. >> plus, sharp criticism from afghan president karzai. the exclusive nbc interview. why he says the u.s. is partly to blame for the growing instability in his country. >>> and the duchess of cambridge leaves the hospital after being treated for acute morning sickness. her royal father-in-law couldn't be happier. >> i'm not a radio station? >> grandfather, that's splendid. that's great she's getting better. >> good day, i'm chris cillizza in for andrea mitchell live in washington. behind the bluster and the rhetoric, what happens going on behind the scenes in the budget negotiations? and big breaking news in this to

of some u.s. cities and towns and in flint, michigan, they come in at over 100,000 here. and west palm beach, florida, just over 100,000. and that's basically less than citigroup have laid off since the financial crisis. 96,500 jobs gone at various units across the business, up to to 2011. and now they're adding on top of that another 11,000 across various businesses here. just try to save the company about $1 billion. that is just quite remarkable when you put it up against the size of flint, michigan. moving you all, i want to talk about apple here. shocking day in the market for them yesterday. the worst decline in four years for this stock. they are now officially once again in bad territory with a 23% decline from the all time high on the share price. the market getting a little nervous about competition particularly in the china market. is it possible that nokia may have a crowd pleaser in the future to take on the iphone? i don't know. it is something analysts are chewing over and it's another reason why apple had another rocky day in the markets. >> jeff cutmore live from

look", intense cold blows into the u.s. along with record snowfall and thunderstorms for most of the country. >>> gasoline almost half a buck cheaper and going lower as obama and boehner meet face to face to peer over the looming fist cliff. >>> the latest on the death of the royal nurse. >>> handcuffed man makes off with a police cruiser. >>> and could hillary clinton be presented with an offer she can't refuse? >>> very good morning to you, i'm veronica de la cruz. right now residents in the midwest are waking up to some of the heaviest snowfall they've seen in two months. a low moving storm dumped more than a foot. 150 flight cancellations and delays at minneapolis st. paul airport. nbc meteorologist bill karins has been tracking those storms. it looks bad. >> impressive. ten inches in minneapolis. winter has arrived and in a big way through the middle of the country. the wind chills are brutal this morning. all of this mess is now sliding to the east coast. thankfully not the snow and ice. the storm itself is actually located over lower michigan heading up towards just north

, susan page, love having you on the program. >> afghan's president hamid karzai is blaming the u.s. for some of the security problems. he says part of the blame goes to private security firms and contractors brought in by the united states. >> al qaeda i don't think has a presence in afghanistan. i don't know if al qaeda exists as an organization as it is being spoken about. so all we know is that we have insecurity, part of the insecurity is definitely coming to us from terrorism and attacks of the taliban, part of the insecurity is coming to us from the structures that nato and america created in afghanistan. [ male announcer ] red lobster's crabfest ends soon. hurry in and try five succulent entrees, like our tender snow crab paired with savory garlic shrimp. just $12.99. come into red lobster and sea food differently. and introducing 7 lunch choices for just $7.99. is bigger than we think ... sometimelike the flu.fer from with aches, fever and chills- the flu's a really big deal. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter

decide whether to run for governor against republican chris christie, or perhaps for the u.s. senate. >>> coming up, no cause for concern -- that's the word on nelson mandala as the anti-apartheid legend rests in a south african hospital. >>> plus, should the gop jump on the marijuana legalization bandwagon? might not sound like a good fit. but stay tuned. we'll work it over in the war room, next. the truth about mascara is... it clumps. introducing a revolutionary new mascara. clump crusher...crusher. 200% more volume. zero clumps. new clump crusher from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. [ cheers and applause ] >>> that's one of the fifrs couples to tie the knot in washington state just after midnight last night. the first time same-sex couple there is could legally get hitched. voters approve the new law last month, making washington state now one of nine states plus the district of columbia that allows same-sex marriages. i'm craig me

, these negotiations began and ended in 24 hours. that is very decisive for leaving the u.s. senate. and if it is true then it's really looking like the heritage foundation and jim demint saw an opportunity in the continuing republican crackup. earlier this week, we learned that dick armey is breaking up with his tea party group freedom works and then we learned freedom works is kind of crumbling from within due to internal disputes over its strategy. that leaves a mantle of leadership for the tea party wing of the republican party wide open. that is a lot of power and a lot of fund-raising opportunity. and if you believe the timeline of the records, demint and the heritage foundation saw that opportunity whereby they could join forces and seize it and perhaps even become leaders of that wing of the party. now, they're not alone. you know who's leading the other wing of the republican party right now? and also getting a bunch of money? the don't primary all of your incumbents and choose all of your unelectable candidates wing of the party. that is karl rove. here's how rove explained his

the u.s. the company received $133 million in federal stimulus grngrnt grants before going under. republicans called the case a textbook example of wasted stimulus money. >>> "usa today," controversy surrounding the korean pop sensation psy. he performed last night at the christmas in washington concert with the president and his family in attendance. he has that dance, you know? >> you know, everybody, like, sends me videos of them doing this. i have no idea what it is. >> "gangnam style." >> is that how you say it? >> yeah. >> oh, you know what? i prefer to be out of it on this one. >> so this was just days after video surfaced of him using inflammatory anti-american language and leading anti-u.s. protests at a concert in 2004 amid the heat of the iraq war. the song, which is a cover called for killing, quote, yankees. on friday psy issued an apology saying he understands american servicemen's sacrifices and regrets using the inflammatory language. >> it was really harsh language that he used, but you know what? a lot of people said a lot of stupid things again. i would be more

up and go to the post office anymore. [ male announcer ] with stamps.com you can print real u.s. postage for all your letters and packages. i have exactly the amount of postage i need, the instant i need it. can you print only stamps? no... first class. priority mail. certified. international. and the mail man picks it up. i don't leave the shop anymore. [ male announcer ] get a 4 week trial plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. >>> i now ask that the united states senate observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of the sandy hook elementary school tragedy. >> senate majority leader harry reid marking a moment of silence a few moments ago to honor the victims of the shooting at sandy hook elementary school. just within the last hour, the white house given a timeline when it plans to start taking on gun violence. white house spokesperson jay carney called it a complex problem that will require complex solutions and said gun legislation is only part of the equation. white house correspondent pet

11th attacks at the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> and it's important to remember what susan said was based on the information that had been given to every senior official in our administration, and she made very clear in her appearances that the information was subject to change as more facts were gathered and analyzed by the intelligence community. and look, as is often the case, our understanding evolved over time. and we've done our best to keep the american people and the congress informed. that was her goal, that was her mission and she should not be criticized for doing exactly that. >> that, of course, comes in direct conflict with what general david petraeus, the director of the cia, told the committee in the senate where he said they knew immediately after the attack, the next day, that it was, in fact, an attack launched by al qaeda. now, speaking to reporters in ireland on one of her last trips as secretary of state, hillary laughed off questions about a potential presidential run in 2016, saying she's just too busy with her current job to think long term. >> i'm right

. one of the things i've been doing on my tour is realizing the u.s. government has all kinds of earmarked moneys for minorities and women, particularly women. they don't have the money to market those opportunities but they're there. i think there's all kinds of opportunities where there's small business loan, government contra contracts, there's all kinds of things, other ways she can det money right now without giving up a piece of the company. >> this is going to be a war. knew get the last word. >> if i sold out early on i wouldn't have made the money made. i think those of us that know a certain market, she knows her market and extending it. usually when you know your market really well it becomes universal. knew don't have to be in the government to get the money. the private equity. i think she gets a lot better advice if she goes to an angel. >> we will leave it there and love a panel that disagrees with each other. thanks. >>> another company is seeing rapid growth thanks to a '50s pin-up star. bettie page clothing has come a long way since we last reported on them. the

think the threat of u.s. airpower is enormous. when we put the u.s. naval air carrier to the syrian armed forces and the u.s. air force, it would be their end within 90 days, so i think there's a huge deterrent capacity from the president's announcement. if he uses chemicals, we could go after his delivery system. if we could go after the -- i heard a discussion, you couldn't really bomb them because you would set them off. that's what we do. we go after them with very hot munition to try and destroy them before they were used. do we really know where they are, have they moved them, consealed them? it's a tough target. >> one more question. al misra, this group that is alive with al qaeda in iraq, the u.s. is set to designate that as a terror organization, but among the rebel leaders, they, like al misra because they are openly the al qaeda leaders are openly recruiting there among the rebels. how does this complicate hillary clinton's task this week going to mare concern and preparing to designate a rebel group as the new interim operational leaders. >> well, tough to sort through.

alarm from u.s. officials that there are indications of these chemical weapons are being prepared for use. when you combine that with the signs that maybe assad's forces are in a little bit more danger from the rebels than they were before, you might think that perhaps the regime is becoming desperate enough to use these chemical weapons. that said, chris, i do think it would be near suicidal for the regime to do so. so far the international community has stayed out. i don't think the united states wants to get involved. but this sort of step could almost force the united states to get involved as we've already seen from the president and secretary of state's words. >> speaking of the secretary of state, apparently she's got a stomach virus. and it's forcing secretary clinton to delay her overseas trip that is supposed to sfoe focus on giving more support to the syrian opposition. we are told she's likely to announce the administration's going to recognize the opposition's new leadership council as the sole legitimate representative of the syrian people. michael, how important is that

, the second longest serving senator in u.s. history, democrat senator inouye died from respiratory complications. president obama praised him calling inoue a true american hero. his staff says his final word was aloha. he was 88 years old. a great, as the president said, great american hero. the charleston post, south carolina governor, nikki haley, selects republican tim scott to replace out-going jim demint. the tea party will be switching and will become the first african-american senator ever from south carolina. >> "boston globe," taking new steps to speed up your check-in this holiday season. the elderly members of the military and other travelers deemed low risk will now be able to keep their shoes, jackets and belts on. the tsa has also expanded its pre-check trusted traveler program to 35 airports. >> those trusted travelers, t.j. >> and a look with "politico" playbook, jim vandyheim. >> there was some movement on the fiscal cliff talks. >> yes. i would say substantial movement where you can see the contours of a deal that can get done potentially pretty quick where the pr

congressman tim scott will be switching chambers next year becoming the first african-american u.s. senator from the state of south carolina. governor nikki hayley selected scott to replace jim demint who is resigning in january to lead the heritage foundation. mr. scott will be the only african-american in the senate. despite the historic appointment the congressman said he is focused on getting the job done on government. >> what i never heard on the campaign trail is beside the fact that you're black, or because you're black, here's what we want to do. they asked me questions about values and issues. that's an amazing thing. it speaks to the evolution of south carolina and our nation. it speaks to the heart of the good people of our nation, specifically of our state. i would say this, more importantly than the complexion that i have, i think back to growing up in single-parent household. i would love to speak to the single moms out there and say don't give up on your kids. it may get tough. it may be challenging. but all things are truly possible in this nation. >> the 47-year-old is con

signalled a big potential shift in u.s. involvement there. here's what he said. >> i want to make it absolutely clear to assad and those under his command, the world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. and if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons, there will be consequences, and you will be held accountable. >> nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in syria to bring us the very latest on what is of course a developing story. richard? >> reporter: david, despite increasing criticism and warnings, the government of bashir al assad is revving up the campaign against the opposition. this area was bombed last night. regarding chemical weapons, commanders we have spoken to are very concerned that the government could use chemical weapons. they are completely not prepared for that eventuality. they don't have gas masks. they don't have medicine. there's no early warning system here. they have appealed for some kind of training, but so far on the ground there is nothing that could protect them from any kind of deadly chemi

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latinos turn every month 18 years of age, born in the united states. >> in the u.s. >> in the united states of america. just wanted to add that. >> yes. >> that's right. there's a difference there. >> but, jose, let me ask you since you are in miami and marco rubio has been -- he is presumed to be almost the voice of the gop on immigration concerns, and there is talk of a gang of eight that is getting together on the hill to tackle immigration that includes four democrats, bennett durbin, four members of the gop flake, grant, mccain, and leaf. marco rubio is not in that mix, and he is said to be working on sort of smaller pieces of immigration legislation, but not something bigger. we contacted his office saying, you know, why is senator rubio not in the mix on the gang of eight here, and the response is we won't prejudge their efforts, but senator rubio has said that he believes immigration reform should not be handled in one big comprehensive bill, but instead be done in a comprehensive series of bills. we're working with republican and democratic colleagues in both the house and s

and go to the post office anymore. [ male announcer ] with stamps.com you can print real u.s. postage for all your letters and packages. i have exactly the amount of postage i need, the instant i need it. can you print only stamps? no... first class. priority mail. certified. international. and the mail man picks it up. i don't leave the shop anymore. [ male announcer ] get a 4 week trial plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. when you give a child a toy, it has to work. ♪ make just one someone happy and when it's a toys for tots child, well, what could be more important? so this year, every hasbro toy donated to toys for tots will be powered by duracell. happy holidays. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere. [applause] >>> welcome back, everybody. i want to talk you to washington, d.c. you're watching applause right now. a live look there after the vice president swore in senator patrick leahy as the new president pro-tem. this makes him second in line for the house speaker. trade ne tradit

, remembering one of the giants of the u.s. senate. a fixture of that chamber and a war hero who broke racial barriers. >>> and still to come, the conversations happening at homes and schools and houses of worship across the country today about student safety and about the culture of violence in our country. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. >>> amber .paul started north carolina based footsteps clothing which had a booming christmas pajama line. they added other holidays and eventually expanded to products that celebrate family life. for more, watch "your business" at 7:30 sunday mornings on msnbc. >>> from washington to honolulu, there is mourning for an icon, the senate's most senior member, daniel inouye. he died on monday. president obama said the country has lost a true american hero. the vice president called inouye one of the most honorable men i ever met in my life and one of the best friends you could hope for. on the senate floor, he is even more remembered. >> a man who has lived and breathed the senate. if there were ever a patriot, inouye was that p

wealthy and greater investment in u.s. manufacturing. the president traveled to a suburb of detroit touring an engine plant that's announcing a $100 million expansion in production and jobs. and even as the president touted that economic bright spot, he renewed his case to extend tax cuts for 98% of americans that are due to expire at the end of the year. >> how many of you can afford to pay another $2,200 in taxes? not you? >> no! >> that's a hit you can't afford to take. and by the way, that's not a good hit for businesses either. >> the president's urgent push come as the white house and congress enter the deadline phase in their negotiations to get a deal passed by next friday, the last day congress is in session. president obama and house speaker john boehner know they have to reach agreement this week if there's to be a deal, which is why they met behind closed doors on sunday. spokesmen for both men say that lines of communication remain open with the president reiterating today that he's up for a big deal. >> i have said i will work with republicans on a plan for economic gr

, watched him be reelected with a larger margin that george bush and he's leaving the u.s. senate. >> well, there are winner and losers in the u.s. senate. he was willing to back some of the most extreme and unelectable republicans in primaries and thereafter and many more establishment republicans feel like he may have cost them the majority. so he still wants to be committed to this 100% commitment of ideology of getting thing done because we really need the senate to get things done. we need more problem solvers that are willing to come together like the deficit and job crisis that we continue to want to tackle. so i think you do see him saying, hey, i have this idea. we're going to take it by the storm. it didn't work. the president is still standing and moving forward. and i think there's some in his party who are eager to try to get a balanced approach and prevent us from going off this cliff which would be a very serious thing and we're right up against it. >> don't they have, joe, a real civil war going on in the republican party when you have on one hand sarah palin open fending t

former prosecutor and u.s. attorney. senator, thanks for being here tonight. >> thank you so much. >> are you confident that democrats will be able to pass meaningful gun legislation? >> i am never confident of anything when it comes to the united states congress or i should say overconfident. but i am confident that we're going to fight for it. because we are at a critical turning point. there is a kind of tectonic movement politically. the ground is shifting on this issue of gun violence protection. this president spoke very eloquently about it at the vigil sunday night. and my colleagues actually have been revisiting their past positions. and i'm confident that we are in a different era when it comes to gun violence prevention. and we've got a real chance of banning assault weapons, stopping high-capacity magazines or clips. mental health intervention, all kinds of measures like that one. >> right. but on top of that and when we see the horrific scenes that has happened in your state and those that have been impacted in a rail way, yet we see a response of senator shelby. he do

symbol. and remember, joe manchin, when he was running for this u.s. senate seat, cut an ad in which he was shooting at a target. the bottom line is that him taking this stand is good evidence of just how much this issue has begun to shift and the potential that president obama has to talk about it to rural americans. >> all right, john nichols, great to have you with us tonight, john. there's a lot more coming up in the next half hour of "the ed show" stay with us. >> the principal lunging, trying to protect. chris, i wish to god she would have had an m-4 in her office locked up. >> in the wake of sandy hook, the rightties double down on gun lobby talking points. alex wagner and jonathan alder on the republican opposition to gun laws. what role does this country need to play to curb the violence. dr. gale salts is here with answers. and the club for growth is mad at john boehner, you know it's good news for democrats. the latest on fiscal negotiations is ahead. can help with your questions. and your loved one can get exelon patch free for 30 days. if the doctor feels it's right for the

know how important that is. >>> michael nutter, the president of the u.s. conference of mayors joining us from philadelphia. mr. mayor, thank you very much. >> thank you, andrea. >> you have been all over this issue, but now do you see an opening because of this horrendous tragedy to get people mobilized? >> andrea, i think the conversation has really shifted all across the country. i do believe that we've reached a tipping point here, and usually when you see that happen on any number of issues, different people are prepared possibly to take different action than maybe they were in the past. this is a horrific tragedy. it has really fwrached people in very, very different ways, and as saddened as we've always been about tucson or aurora, other places, and certainly death and carnage on our streets all across the cities of america, this particular incident, i think, is a culmination of a variety of these massacre type incidents that we've seen over the last few years, and they're increasingly happening. the issues of high capacity weapons, these magazines, assault weapons being

states production will start next year. and what apple says about u.s. workforce really caught our attention. >> it's not a matter of bringing it back, it's a matter of starting it here. >> tim cook says there's a problem with the american workforce? there's a serious labor gap for big manufacturers ever since the 1960s, the service sector has been gaining jobs and manufacturing has dropped. 86% of jobs are reportedly in the service industry in our country now. only 14% are still in manufacturing. apple says it needs more skilled american labor. but let's be honest. companies like apple caused the problem in the first place. for decades, u.s. trade policy has rewarded companies like bain capital for gutting the nation's manufacturing core. republicans have cleared the way for companies to make massive profits by using cheaper labor in china. china's also got middle managers to run the factories. chinese workers have been trained in skilled positions for decades. those same skilled positions have nearly vanished here in the united states. and chinese labor is the reason apple can af

-inflammatory, anti-american language and leading u.s. anti-protests. that was at a concert in 2004. on friday psy issued an apology for those lyrics. they were part of the anti-iraq war movement. k despite the controversy, it aired on tnt. >>> as always, let me know why you're awake. shoot me an e-mail. you can tweet me at bill karins or you can text the word awake followed by your response to 622639. we'll read -- that was kind of count dracula. we'll read the responses on the show. still ahead on "way too early." this is the one regarding the status of robert griffin iii's knee. he banged it up. he went down and leaving the redskins playoff hopes in the hands of a rookie. we'll have the rest of your nfl highlights coming up. >>> of course, the shovels, the snow blowers, they're working overtime in the midwest this morning. new england and the rest of the east coast, you're next. i'll give you a check of your weather when we return to "way too early." snoop. >> the nobel peace prize for 2009, president barack obama to come forward and receive the gold medal and the diploma. [ appl

every ten american retail employees works at all mart, employs 1.4 million u.s. workers. this is according to a study, if large retailers paid $25,000 a year for full-time year-round work more than 700,000 americans would be able to cross the poverty line. >> that's stunning. and what that focuses on is a fact that is on cured in the debate on poverty. most poor people work every day. people have a notion they're on the dole and chilling out, buying cadillacs and eating mcdonald's and getting their weave done. reality is that most poor people are working two, three jobs but they work 40, 50, 60 hours a week, they can't make ends meet. they have two, three jobs so they can't go to their kids' school to talk about their report card and if they don't they are looked at as poor parents but if they do they might lose a job that will sustain the kid that might relieve him from being a lash key kid but put them on the dole. a little help from the labor force would help these poor people turn themselves in to worthy workers who are recipients of a wage that is living not barely subsiftin

of law. i think a couple days the u.s. attorney in washington said the federal law trumps what you guys are going. people are going to say no, enough. and the obama administration just started ramping up prosecutions of this. this is unusual for me. >> yeah. do you agree, goldie? >> i do, except heroin is making a comeback and that's really unfortunate. but do i think the legalization of marijuana will increase its usage, i don't. people who want to partake, are already partaking. so i think that we ought to just remove the gloves, let people do what they want to do in the privacy of their own homes. free up our police to direct their things to things that are much more important. these people aren't going to get in the car and drive. hell, they can't even kind their far keys after a good joint. so the issue really is about criminalizing things and making a pathway for our young boys, chiefly boys, from the high school straight to prison. that pipeline is as straight as it's ever been. >> krystal, another change versus just a few years ago, same-sex marriage. here are the nine stat